About this Event
🎬 Jeonju International Film Festival Choice
🗓️ Friday, October 16 • 7:30 PM
📍 Korean Cultural Center New York
(122 E 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016)
* The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director KIM Myunwoo and consulting producer KIM Sunah.
Synopsis
Inside a small judicial scrivener’s office at the Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Court, people arrive daily carrying the weight of debt. The father helps them file for rehabilitation and bankruptcy, though he himself is drowning in what he owes.
Eight years ago, the filmmaker - who once dreamed of becoming a poet - abandoned his studies and took a seat beside his father, fearing that debt might one day drive him to suicide. As a clerk, he witnesses the endless circulation of suffering caused by money, obligation, and survival.
Threaded through this struggle is the quiet presence of his mother, a Buddhist nun who returned to monastic life to repay the debts of her temple, and who eventually achieved financial peace. Between a father still struggling and a mother who endured, the film searches for a modest hope: not redemption, but the possibility of continuing to live.
Awards & Festival Selections
- 27th JEONJU International Film Festival (JIFF) — Korean Competition: Special Jury Prize & Special Category: Documentary Award
- 2026 EBS International Documentary Film Festival (EIDF) — Festival Choice Competition: Grand Prix
Ticket: FREE (RSVP REQUIRED)
- RSVP and seating are first come, first served.
- Limited same-day standby tickets available.
- Cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance.
- Your tickets will be released to the standby line 10 minutes before the show, so we recommend you arrive early to secure your seats.
- All films featuring Korean dialogue will have English subtitles available.
- For additional questions, please contact: [email protected]
Co-presented by Korean Cultural Center New York and Korea Creative Content Agency New York Center
In Collaboration with Jeonju International Film Festival
For more details: www.koreanculture.org/films/2026/10/15/the-1st-nykiff
Event venue & nearby stays
Korean Cultural Center New York, 122 East 32nd Street, New York, United States
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